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Wolves Nature Discovery Trunk Curriculum 120 Hickory Street, Suite A Missoula, MT 59801 406- 327-0405 www.MontanaNaturalist.org Wolves Nature Discovery Trunk Curriculum Wolves Nature Discovery Traveling Trunk Wolf Trunk Nature Discovery Trunk Content List -1 curriculum binder -1 Large Plastic Tote with Lid Articles, Books & Pamphlets: Small Pelt Pieces Bag The Song of the Wolf by Kevin Strauss -2 Wolf Wolf Pack: Tracking Wolves in the Wild by Alice Aamodt -1 Coyote Wolves for Kids by Tom Wolpert There’s a Wolf in the Classroom by Bruce Weide and Patricia Tucker Wolves by Gail Gibbons Animal Track Molds: Gray Wolf Red Wolf by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent -1 Wolf -1 Dog -1 Deer Baby Wolf by Beth Spanjian -1 Coyote Tales of Two Canines by Bruce Weide and Pat Tucker -2 Snowshoe Hare Wolf Wars by Hank Fischer -2 Cottontail Rabbit Animal Pelts: -Wolf Additional Equipment -Radio tracking collar Skulls: -Wooden Wolf Puppet -1 Gray Wolf -2 Wolf Body Language Cards -1 Domestic Dog -1 Wolf Body Language Adventures -1 Coyote Activity Instruction Card -1 Snowshoe Hare -1 Wolf Body Language Adventures Card -1 White Tail Deer Doe Wolf Prey Bag: Photographs: -Beaver 4 wolf research cards -Big Horn Sheep -Wolf wearing radio tracking collar -Calf -Biologist carrying telemetry equipment -Elk -Biologists transporting wolves for Yellowstone 1995 -Moose reintroduction -Mountain Goat -2005 Denali Wolf Home Range Map example -White-tailed Deer -2011 Denali Wolf Population/Home Range map -Elk Hoof Page | 2 Montana Natural History Center www.MontanaNaturalist.org Wolves Nature Discovery Traveling Trunk Evolution, History, and Current Status of Wolves Wolves once lived in most of North America. The only places they did not live were extreme deserts and tropical jungle-type areas. Wolves and dogs evolved from another wolf-like creature called Tomarctus which lived during the Miocene era about 20 million years ago. Modern wolves evolved from descendants of Tomarctus during the Pleistocene era which extended from 2.6 million years ago until as recent as 12 thousand years ago. During the Pleistocene era, the gray wolf we see today had another relative on the landscape called the dire wolf, which was heavier set, but very similar in appearance and behavior. Dire wolves died out at the end of the Pleistocene, leaving the gray wolf the “top dog” in North America. The wolf remained one of North America’s top predators until Europeans arrived in the 16th century. By the late 1700’s, wolves were gone entirely from the east coast. As Europeans began moving westward they killed bison, elk, and other prey of the wolf. While wolves do sometimes prey on livestock, the extermination of their natural prey aggravated the problem. In a 25 year period at the end of the 19th century, 80 thousand wolves were killed in Montana alone. By the 1940’s, wolves were essentially gone from the lower 48 states except northeastern Minnesota. Efforts we made in the 1990’s to reintroduce the wolf back to Idaho and Montana that have been wildly successful, with healthy populations existing and growing across the West. Many wolves were allowed to migrate and re- colonize from Canada. Wolves can now be seen or heard in many parts of the state and helping ecosystems transition back to a more historical state. Telling Wolves, Dogs, and Coyotes Apart Wolves, coyotes, and dogs can look similar from a distance. Because of this, many people often misreport that they’ve seen a wolf. Keeping a few key characteristics in mind, it is easy to identify each one correctly. In case you ever see a large doglike creature, make sure you know how to tell these animals apart! WOLF (Canis lupus) Color: black, white, all shades of gray and tan, never spotted Size: 80 to 100 lbs., 26-34 inches at shoulder Tail: hangs straight down or straight out, never curls Ears: rounded, small, upright Muzzle: large and blocky General: massive, long-legged, first impression is often of a deer or calf COYOTE (Canis latrans) Color: all shades of tan and gray, rarely black, never spotted Size: 20 to 35 lbs., 16-20 inches at shoulder Tail: hangs straight down or straight out, never curls Ears: pointed, large, upright Muzzle: long, narrow, pointed General: delicate, medium size, fox-like face Page | 3 Montana Natural History Center www.MontanaNaturalist.org Wolves Nature Discovery Traveling Trunk DOG (Canis lupus familiaris) Color: variable, may be spotted Size: variable Tail: variable, may be curled Ears: variable, may hang down Muzzle: variable General: variable Many people wonder how many types, or subspecies, of wolves there are. Wolves were divided into 24 subspecies in North America in the early 1900’s. However, many biologists now feel that wolves are so similar that at most there should be only 2 or 3 subspecies. The gray wolf, which lives in the western US, is so similar to the timber wolf, which lives in the eastern US, that they are classified as the same subspecies. The red wolf used to live throughout the southeastern states. It is a smaller wolf and is a separate species Canis rufus. Red wolf populations are much lower today and their habitat has been fragmented and developed, making it hard for the wolves to easily colonize new areas. The red wolf was listed as an endangered species in 1967 and is one of the world’s most endangered canids. Mexican Gray Wolves Canis lupus baileyi, are subspecies of the gray wolf—the most rare subspecies in North America. They are gray with light brown fur on their backs and are often referred to as “El lobo.” El lobo was once quite numerous in the south west United States. By the mid 1970’s they were mostly wiped out. A reintroduction effort that started in the late 1990’s has increased their numbers in the wild. They are important to the southwest landscape because they help keep populations of deer, elk, and javelina in check. These prey animals can easily over graze their habitat, affecting lots of other species too. Currently these wolves can be found in small numbers in Arizona and New Mexico. Page | 4 Montana Natural History Center www.MontanaNaturalist.org Wolves Nature Discovery Traveling Trunk Lesson 1: Introduction to Wolves Overview: set the stage for this unit of inquiry by displaying the materials from the trunk. Students will explore the trunk materials and consider what the materials can tell them about wolves. Procedure: 1. Each learning station will center on a theme from the included lessons: wolf adaptations, pack and family behavior, predator/prey relationships and wolf research. 2. The following vocabulary can be introduced at the start of this unit or it can be explored as you move through the lessons: Carnivore, Predator, Prey, Adapt, Behavior, Camouflage, Canis lupus, Dominance, Pack, and Telemetry. 3. Set up the following stations: Wolf Adaptations: skull, pelt, wolf track Predator/Prey Relationship: fur and skulls from prey animals Pack Behavior: wolf puppet, images of wolf behavior Wolf Research: telemetry collar, images of research 4. Students will rotate through the four stations, exploring the different concepts that will be introduced in this unit. Stations can be introduced in a way that fits your classroom curriculum (all at once or one station per day). 5. Using the student journal, have students record notes from each learning station. 6. At each station, have the students explore the elements on the table. Encourage them to discuss what they see. With each station they should make a note in a square on their paper answering this question: 7. What do these items tell you about wolves? 8. After all students have visited the station, start a list on the board of what the students discovered at the station. It is ok at this point to include information that you know to be incorrect if the student has made scientific observations If the students are sharing ideas from what they know (or think they know) about wolves that is not covered by the materials at that station, find another white board in the room to “park” that idea for further exploration later. 9. You may choose to introduce the vocabulary at this point. 10. At the end of the unit you can revisit these different stations or just this worksheet and begin to make changes to misconceptions or add more depth to identify what the students have learned. Page | 5 Montana Natural History Center www.MontanaNaturalist.org Wolves Nature Discovery Traveling Trunk Lesson 2: Skull Study Background Information: Skulls provide a wealth of information about an animal’s habits. By looking at such basic features as teeth, eye placement, eye size, and nose length, naturalists can determine much about an animal: if it was an herbivore, carnivore, or omnivore; if it was predator or prey; and sometimes the family to which the animal belongs. See the diagram and notes for information on how to make such deductions. Teeth are probably the most important clue within the skull to an animal’s identity. The types present and their relative size are strong indicators of diet. The three main types are: • Incisors: chisel-shaped teeth in front of mouth used for nipping and cutting. Incisors are long and sturdy in herbivores and small and weak in carnivores. • Canines: large, pointed teeth in front corners of a carnivore’s mouth used for grasping and killing prey. Most herbivores completely lack canines. • Molars: teeth located in the cheek of the mouth used for chewing. Molars are the most important indicators of diet: sharp molars for cutting meat, flat or ridged molars for grinding vegetable matter. Eye Placement can help you determine if an animal is primarily predator or prey.
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